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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
My favourite book this year. Wins hands down!
It is about a mother like me (and many of us), busy, her mind everywhere... and then something happens where she thinks she's guilty. The end is a surprise - actually I checked out the last pages before buying it as I really hate cliché ends.
I recommend this book for busy parents and their kids!
It is about a mother like me (and many of us), busy, her mind everywhere... and then something happens where she thinks she's guilty. The end is a surprise - actually I checked out the last pages before buying it as I really hate cliché ends.
I recommend this book for busy parents and their kids!
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Amazing build up, let down at the end. I like the writing but seriously pissed at how it concluded. Meh.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
Un chouilla déçue par la fin que j'ai trouvée un peu bâclée... j'aurais aimé que le suspens dure un peu plus longtemps... Mais sinon, c'est un super livre que je recommande vivement! Je l'ai dévoré d'une traite!
A good plot, likeable characters and an easy page turning read. It’s probably only a 3.5 stars for me though as I feel like it’s quite forgettable, and I really disliked Joe for some reason.
This book was only mildly suspenseful and certainly not fiendishly addictive, as claimed by the Guardian on the book's front cover.
It had enough appeal to keep me reading, but the ending was disappointing. An anti climax as everything just neatly feel into place. I had also started to suspect how it was going to end earlier than I imagine I was supposed to.
The characters weren't particularly appealing either. Lisa starts off as a character who would develop well. As a busy mum myself, her earlier dialogue and witty observations on life struck a chord and even made me laugh out loud. But as the story continued she sounded like a broken record! Yes, I get it. You're rushed off your feet. You're tired. You're feeling inadequate. I get it.
The writing style too was very simplistic. And there were far too many instances of the author going off on a tangent. Half way through the book I just started to skim read. That said I think the story had the potential to have been even better and I can imagine that Paula Daly will probably get better as she continues to write more books.
It had enough appeal to keep me reading, but the ending was disappointing. An anti climax as everything just neatly feel into place. I had also started to suspect how it was going to end earlier than I imagine I was supposed to.
The characters weren't particularly appealing either. Lisa starts off as a character who would develop well. As a busy mum myself, her earlier dialogue and witty observations on life struck a chord and even made me laugh out loud. But as the story continued she sounded like a broken record! Yes, I get it. You're rushed off your feet. You're tired. You're feeling inadequate. I get it.
The writing style too was very simplistic. And there were far too many instances of the author going off on a tangent. Half way through the book I just started to skim read. That said I think the story had the potential to have been even better and I can imagine that Paula Daly will probably get better as she continues to write more books.
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
This book has been talked about a lot lately, and I knew I had to pick it up. This book was shocking and had me guessing until the very end. In my opinion this book was amazing and had just the right amount of creepiness to it.
Lisa Kallisto is a working mother who does her best to care for her children, and one little mistake causes her to lose her friend's thirteen-year-old daughter. There are so many working mothers out there that at times it can be difficult to keep track of everything happening, and this is exactly what happens to Lisa. Feeling guilty, she dedicates all her time to helping find Lucinda, and the secrets that are revealed throughout are shocking.
The story is told through alternating perspectives of Lisa, the detective on the case, and every so often we get a glimpse of the kidnapper's perspective. This last perspective really added to the book, it gives you this insight into what someone like that is thinking, and it makes the book that much creepier for me. I found myself getting shivers every time I read the kidnapper's perspective, and they are very quick chapters but they left me unnerved.
Everything about this book feels so real and is one of those things that could happen to anyone, which is what really makes this book even creepier. After reading this book and getting to the end, I could see there were a few little clues dropped in places, but I never could have seen that ending coming. If you like a good mystery, this book is definitely worth your read. Paula Daly will keep you gripped to your chair, you won't want to stop reading because you just need to know what happened to Lucinda.
This book has been talked about a lot lately, and I knew I had to pick it up. This book was shocking and had me guessing until the very end. In my opinion this book was amazing and had just the right amount of creepiness to it.
Lisa Kallisto is a working mother who does her best to care for her children, and one little mistake causes her to lose her friend's thirteen-year-old daughter. There are so many working mothers out there that at times it can be difficult to keep track of everything happening, and this is exactly what happens to Lisa. Feeling guilty, she dedicates all her time to helping find Lucinda, and the secrets that are revealed throughout are shocking.
The story is told through alternating perspectives of Lisa, the detective on the case, and every so often we get a glimpse of the kidnapper's perspective. This last perspective really added to the book, it gives you this insight into what someone like that is thinking, and it makes the book that much creepier for me. I found myself getting shivers every time I read the kidnapper's perspective, and they are very quick chapters but they left me unnerved.
Everything about this book feels so real and is one of those things that could happen to anyone, which is what really makes this book even creepier. After reading this book and getting to the end, I could see there were a few little clues dropped in places, but I never could have seen that ending coming. If you like a good mystery, this book is definitely worth your read. Paula Daly will keep you gripped to your chair, you won't want to stop reading because you just need to know what happened to Lucinda.
I couldn't stop until it was done! Intriguing and moving and it made me appreciate my less than perfect but perfectly lovely life. Not all is as it seems...
Review also published on my blog StudentSpyglass
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Plot: ★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★
Overall: ★★★
The Story
Lisa Kallisto is an overworked, perpetually busy mum. She forgets to buy the ingredients her daughter needs for food tech, is constantly juggling several things at once, and never has enough money for the animal shelter that she works at. Her go to phrase is “Leave it with me, I’ll sort it”, even when she has no idea just how she’ll go about it. She lives happily (if busily) with her taxi driving husband and their two kids.
Lisa’s best friend, Kate, is one of ‘those’ mothers. The cake baking, never forgets anything, always smiling and put together mothers. Despite their friendship, Lisa can’t help feeling a little jealous of Kate, and her perfect seeming life. Through a series of miscommunications, Kate is left thinking that her daughter Lucinda is staying at Lisa’s for a night – but she’s not. When she goes missing, Lisa blames herself – and so does everyone else. Wracked with guilt and fear, Lisa watches hopelessly as the police try to find Lucinda.
The Characters
The story alternates between first-person chapters from Lisa’s point of view and third-person chapters from Detective Constable Joanne Aspinall, with a few chapters from the kidnapper.
Lisa’s first person chapters are easy to get engrossed in, because let’s be honest, we all have days when we’re overwhelmed, when we forget things, where we look at someone else’s life and think it seems so easy. Lisa’s not perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination – she makes mistakes, she sometimes doesn’t appreciate how amazing her own family life is and she struggles with feeling worthy. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she’s very easy to relate to. There are moments where you’ll dislike her, and moments when you can’t help but feel so strongly for her because she’s a very three-dimensional character.
DC Joanne Aspinall is a steady, hard-working woman, trying to piece together the case of Lucinda, and the other missing girls. She’s very likable, and although her chapters were perhaps slightly less emotional than Lisa’s, I think the story needed those breaks in order not to leave the reader just feeling burnt out.
It’s hard to comment on any of the other characters without giving away spoilers, as at points throughout the book, you may find yourself looking at EVERYONE!
Final Thoughts
Just What Kind of Mother are You? was truly gripping and engrossing, heavily emotional and with a twist filled-end. Unfortunately, while the ending was definitely a twist, I wasn’t ultimately satisfied with it. There are a lot of secrets kept throughout the town, which in itself I could have lived with, but there were certain secrets that I felt would have been impossible to keep quiet and so the ending felt less plausible the more I thought about it. (I know that’s very vague, it’s impossible to say more without giving any spoilers away!).
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Plot: ★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★
Overall: ★★★
The Story
Lisa Kallisto is an overworked, perpetually busy mum. She forgets to buy the ingredients her daughter needs for food tech, is constantly juggling several things at once, and never has enough money for the animal shelter that she works at. Her go to phrase is “Leave it with me, I’ll sort it”, even when she has no idea just how she’ll go about it. She lives happily (if busily) with her taxi driving husband and their two kids.
Lisa’s best friend, Kate, is one of ‘those’ mothers. The cake baking, never forgets anything, always smiling and put together mothers. Despite their friendship, Lisa can’t help feeling a little jealous of Kate, and her perfect seeming life. Through a series of miscommunications, Kate is left thinking that her daughter Lucinda is staying at Lisa’s for a night – but she’s not. When she goes missing, Lisa blames herself – and so does everyone else. Wracked with guilt and fear, Lisa watches hopelessly as the police try to find Lucinda.
The Characters
The story alternates between first-person chapters from Lisa’s point of view and third-person chapters from Detective Constable Joanne Aspinall, with a few chapters from the kidnapper.
Lisa’s first person chapters are easy to get engrossed in, because let’s be honest, we all have days when we’re overwhelmed, when we forget things, where we look at someone else’s life and think it seems so easy. Lisa’s not perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination – she makes mistakes, she sometimes doesn’t appreciate how amazing her own family life is and she struggles with feeling worthy. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she’s very easy to relate to. There are moments where you’ll dislike her, and moments when you can’t help but feel so strongly for her because she’s a very three-dimensional character.
DC Joanne Aspinall is a steady, hard-working woman, trying to piece together the case of Lucinda, and the other missing girls. She’s very likable, and although her chapters were perhaps slightly less emotional than Lisa’s, I think the story needed those breaks in order not to leave the reader just feeling burnt out.
It’s hard to comment on any of the other characters without giving away spoilers, as at points throughout the book, you may find yourself looking at EVERYONE!
Final Thoughts
Just What Kind of Mother are You? was truly gripping and engrossing, heavily emotional and with a twist filled-end. Unfortunately, while the ending was definitely a twist, I wasn’t ultimately satisfied with it. There are a lot of secrets kept throughout the town, which in itself I could have lived with, but there were certain secrets that I felt would have been impossible to keep quiet and so the ending felt less plausible the more I thought about it. (I know that’s very vague, it’s impossible to say more without giving any spoilers away!).